Art has always 'floated my boat'. Growing up by the Bluefish River and sailing our red catboat, I took in visual stimulation from the historic structures of Duxbury, Massachusetts and a landscape painted by the seasons. My imagination flowered in the colorful garden of stories recounted by my family. Anecdotes passed down from one Marie to another through three generations helped me inhabit the past as living history.

I began my folk art paintings in 1985 after ten years in Southern California as an art restorer and quiltmaker, professions which trained me in patience and precision. On returning home to New England, I was newly entranced by its history, weather, whimsical architecture and intimate spaces. I was celebrating my 40th birthday and Duxbury its 350th. Duxbury made me feel so young that I felt inspired to capture its past in paintings whose every corner tells a story. Each work is designed to move the viewer through space and history.

When painting an image, I live in its world where meaningful details speak to my senses. I can retrieve a childlike quality which animates these small dramas. I try for a story frame which rewards many viewings and hope my work will create a sense of well-being as it reminds viewers of their own favorite people, places, and times. I have that same feeling in creating it.

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